68 and 78 Year Old Women Beaten and Raped in Separate Home Invasion Attacks

Suspects In Pasco Attacks Sought

ZEPHYRHILLS - Pasco County deputies continue their search for two men today after an elderly woman was kidnapped from her home, raped and dumped with her vehicle yesterday in a quarry off an isolated road, authorities said.

We will not stop until we have these guys in jail and that there have been a number of really good leads in the case, said Sheriff Bob White said today in a statement.

The victim was released from the hospital yesterday with bruises and a swollen shut left eye. She did not have any broken bones.

This community, a haven for retirees, has been on edge since March 1, when another elderly woman was reported beaten and raped in a home invasion.

The circumstances of the cases are similar: Both women were 68, home alone and living in mobile homes less than two miles apart. Investigators think the same two men were involved in both attacks, sheriffs spokesman Doug Tobin said. In both cases, investigators said, two men broke into a mobile home, beat a woman, stole from her and then sexually assaulted her.

The most recent incident in Pasco comes days after a man was arrested on charges he raped a 78-year-old woman in her St. Petersburg condominium on March 12. He is suspected in two similar attacks in Pinellas County.

In the attack Tuesday in Zephyrhills, the woman was watching television between midnight and 1 a.m. when a noise startled her and two men appeared in her home.

They forced her into her minivan and while one drove, the other one raped her, authorities said. They stopped the van off Sixth Avenue, just east of Zephyrhills near the Otis Moody subdivision. The men pushed the minivan over a ledge into a steep quarry and threw her in after it. She landed 20 to 30 feet below in the water-filled ditch, Tobin said.

Somehow she crawled out of the pit and back to the road, where a passing motorist spotted her and called for help about 1:35 a.m.

I just want to go home, the woman told the 911 operator.

She was taken to a hospital. A rape exam was conducted in hopes of gaining DNA evidence.

As onlookers peered over the edge later Tuesday morning, a tow truck crew pulled the minivan out of the pit. The vehicle was impounded to collect evidence. Footprint casts near the ledge also were taken, Tobin said. Forensic evidence is so important in these types of cases, he said.

This latest attack shattered the otherwise peaceful atmosphere of Ramblewood mobile home park, a retirement community off U.S. 301 that advertises nickel bingo and ice cream socials at the community clubhouse. Authorities did not confirm that the victim lived in Ramblewood, but the case was the talk of the oak tree-shaded park Tuesday afternoon.

Out on the shuffleboard court, Ada Leak, 79, pointed to where the victim, a seasonal resident, lived. Leak didnt know the woman, but the news rattled her.

It still doesnt matter if we knew her or not; shes one of us, Leak said. Im sorry that it happened here.

The March 1 incident took place in a subdivision that is part of Winters Mobile Home Park, off State Road 54. In that case, a woman was dragged from her bedroom to the living room, raped by both men, beaten and kicked in the face as they left her home, authorities said.

In the weeks after the invasion, the community has been extra vigilant and wary of intruders, said Bob Winters, the parks owner.

Certainly, this has affected the retirement community as well as all of the community, Winters said. Were a big family. Its been a difficult time.

Residents have stepped up their volunteer-driven community watch programs, and Winters has encouraged everyone to be more alert, he said.

The sheriffs office has urged the community to report any suspicious activity.

In the meantime, White has pledged to devote more resources to these communities and has stepped up patrols, Tobin said.

This is a No. 1 priority for us to solve, he said. We are outraged, and we want to get these men off the streets and away from the public.

Tobin said the suspects descriptions in both incidents are similar. Tuesdays attackers are described as black men clad in black hooded sweatshirts with their faces partially covered with some sort of cloth. One is about 5-foot-7. The other is 5-foot-10.

In the Otis Moody neighborhood Tuesday afternoon, lifelong Zephyrhills resident David Giles said not only was he mad about the attack, but he also was saddened. The quarry where the victim was tossed is not visible from the road. For someone to know it was there, they would have to be familiar with the area, he said.

At one time, everybody knew everybody in this town, he said. Now its different.

If anyone has information about the attacks, call Detective Mel Eakley at 1-800-854-2862, Ext. 5016.

Reporters Geoff Fox and Stephen Thompson contributed to this report. Reporter Lisa A. Davis can be reached at (727) 815-1083. Reporter Nicola M. White can be reached at (813) 779-4613.

68 and 78 Year Old Women Beaten and Raped in Separate Home Invasion Attacks

My heart goes out to these elderly victims of horrific crimes. It is outrageous to think that the Democrat party considers murderers, rapists, and child molestors including the perpetrators of these crimes as their loyal supporters who should retain the right to vote after being convicted of serious violent felony crimes.

These brutal beatings and rapes of 68 and 78 year old women during home invasion attacks show that society needs both a strong conservative criminal justice system and a highly encouraged right to own and use firearms for self-defense. The "liberal" Democrat politicians falsely believe that criminals are "victims of society" and should not be seriously punished or encarcerated for their crimes.

In their warped minds, they have reversed the criminal-victim relationship, because they believe that the victims are ultimately responsible for becoming crime victims, because they are members of the society that supposedly victimized the criminals!

In order to replace more liberal soft-on-crime politicians, we need redistricting reform to eliminate the safe, non-competitive gerrymandered election districts that protect most incombent politicians.

Two social workers have left their office and are walking to their cars. They come upon a man, obviously robbed and beaten, lying bleeding and unconscious in the gutter. As they walk past, one social worker turns to the other and says, "You know, whoever did that really needs our help".

Under the circumstances, not a very funny story but your post brought it to mind. Liberals seldom have any concern for the real victims.

Tobin said the suspects descriptions in both incidents are similar. Tuesdays attackers are described as black men clad in black hooded sweatshirts with their faces partially covered with some sort of cloth. One is about 5-foot-7. The other is 5-foot-10.

I am amazed they gave descriptions. The media rarely give descriptions of the perpetrators anymore.

Rape is a crime of hatred and humiliation more than it is a crime of lust. I bet these two perps have race hatred as a primary motive. No one rapes a 78 year old woman just for lust. There have to be other motives.

Just curious. Has anyone ever heard of a white on black rape these days? It seems that there are lots of black on white rapes but I never hear of the reverse. What does that tell ya?

These types of crimes are usually contained by limiting reporting to the local media. National coverage of stories with a racial aspect are generally limited to those involving a Negro victim such as the Duke lacrosse or the Tawana Brawley stories. The Channon Christian and Chris Newsom kidnapping, torture, rape and murder atrocity in Knoxville, TN is an excellent example of the media's containment policy of non politically correct news. Google christian newsom for the complete story.

Liberals do not believe in individual rights or individual (personal) responsibility, and instead believe in "group rights" which cannot be invoked by any individual, and "group responsibility" which cannot be applied to any responsible individual.

In contrast, conservatives believe in both individual rights and individual (personal) responsibility.

Thus, conservatism is superior to and more practical than liberalism, AKA socialism and communism.

- FraudFactor.com

7
posted on 03/29/2007 4:26:41 PM PDT
by FraudFactor.com
(Support redistricting reform to end gerrymandering and achieve more honest and responsive government)

Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.